Joe Henderson, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Joe HendersonDecember 27, 2016

When the news came on Christmas Day that singer George Michael had died, well … can we get this year completed, please? Just this month alone, we have lost actor Alan Thicke, astronaut/hero John Glenn, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, former Florida Lieutenant Gov. Jim Williams, broadcaster Craig Sager and musician Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake […]

Joe HendersonDecember 23, 2016

Let’s say you’re a teenager and you do something stupid. I know, hard to believe, right? Maybe you get caught with a small amount of pot, or you’re in the wrong place when a fight breaks out. Maybe you’re out with the guys and ended up someplace you shouldn’t, or you committed a petty theft. […]

Joe HendersonDecember 22, 2016

I think Will Weatherford’s just-announced decision not to run for governor in 2018 merely delays the inevitable. I believe he will be Florida’s governor eventually, and that will be a good thing. Weatherford, the Land O’Lakes Republican, is a smart, articulate, center-right conservative in the Jeb Bush tradition. He has a strong legislative resume, including […]

Joe HendersonDecember 19, 2016

Last April, in a news release by his office after signing HB-7099, Gov. Rick Scott bragged, “Over the past two years, Florida has cut more than $1 billion in taxes.” What a happy day that must have been for the governor. He has never met a tax he wouldn’t cut or gut, and that bill […]

Joe HendersonDecember 16, 2016

There has been a lot to like about the tone new House Speaker Richard Corcoran has set in Tallahassee. There is a new emphasis on ethics and disclosure of how the people’s representatives do their business — and more importantly who they do it for. We all benefit from that. That includes, especially, Corcoran’s insistence […]

Joe HendersonDecember 14, 2016

If we have learned anything from the just-completed election, it is this: People are fed up with the political status quo. I mean, isn’t that obvious? Apparently not to St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. He wants to shift an additional $14 million into his city’s Pier project, which could bring the overall cost to $80 […]

Joe HendersonDecember 12, 2016

I was about to muse aloud why someone hasn’t been fired yet from the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Health Care System when this statement came in from U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who represents the district where the facility is located. “Unsurprisingly, not a single VA employee has been fired following this incident, despite a clear […]

Joe HendersonDecember 12, 2016

In 2003, then-Gov. Jeb Bush punished reporters from the Tallahassee bureau of the Palm Beach Post by canceling their invitation to his year-end interview session. His staff cited the “unprofessional behavior” while dealing with some of Bush’s officials, but the paper suspected it was in retaliation for critical reporting on Bush’s pet school vouchers program. I’m betting […]

Joe HendersonDecember 9, 2016

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Convicted murderer Ronald B. Smith reportedly coughed and heaved for 13 minutes Thursday night as the state of Alabama carried out its execution of the condemned murderer. What does this have to do with Florida? Maybe plenty. Florida has applied the death penalty with enthusiasm since it was reinstated here in 1976. The state has […]

Joe HendersonDecember 7, 2016

I like Bill Edwards’ bold plan to privately finance an $80 million renovation of Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. I like his swagger in going hard to land a spot in Major League Soccer for his Tampa Bay Rowdies to play in that stadium. I would even go so far to say that […]

Joe Henderson
Stock image via Adobe.

Can we just get 2016 over with, please?

Push is on to decriminalize minor youth offenses

Will Weatherford’s decision enhances, not removes, future options

Rick Scott wants it both ways: cut taxes, fund services. Can it be done?

Richard Corcoran battle over Pitbull, Visit Florida contract sets the right tone

By asking for more Pier money, Rick Kriseman misreads political mood

After dead veteran scandal, someone needs to say ‘you’re fired’ at Bay Pines VA

Joe Henderson to the Palm Beach Post: Are you freaking crazy?

Florida’s death penalty, a never-ending fight between state, opponents

The time is right: Embrace Bill Edwards’ bold vision for Rowdies, Al Lang Stadium